Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal

Why, oh why is cherry season so short?

Why, oh why do cherries cost so much?

Oh the problems I have. When I do have cherries, I try make the most of them. However, usually my attempts are in vain, as I end up snarfing them down by the handful... oops!

But this year, I managed to save some for this oatmeal! And guess what? It was definitely worth it!

The juice from the cherries spread throughout the oats while cooking, letting off a subtle flavor that pairs well with the chocolate.

So if you have self control enough to save your cherries, try this out. It'll be worth it!

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal
1/2 cup rolled oats
1.5 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 banana, mashed
12 cherries, pitted and chopped
1 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1. In a small saucepan, heat all ingredients except for the almond milk until thickened.
2. Add almond milk, then bring back to a boil and let thicken again.
3. let cool slightly before enjoying!

Serves one

~Danielle

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

Do chicken nuggets sum up anyone else's childhood? It's not just me, right?

right?

Well, they were always my favorite. Whenever and wherever we went out to eat:

Culvers

McDonalds

Burger King

Sonic

.......Just to name a few. But that was before I was very health-consious, obviously.

These little gems I have for you today are much healthier, and baked. To be honest, I've never deep fried anything in my life. Grease just doesn't appeal. At all. I don't even remember the last time that I ate fast food!

Anyway, you should definitely give these a whirl, they are sooooooooooo much better than McDonald's. Although, I guess that's not saying much, but you get the picture.

Chicken Nuggets
2 cups cooked chicken breast, chopped
2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 eggs
1 tbsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
2 slices bread (stale is good. if it is super stale, skip step no. 2)
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a food processor, grind the chicken until it forms a thick paste. Add the eggs, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tbsp. oregano, and 1/2 tsp salt, and combine until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside.
2. Dry bread out by toasting on low until very stale.
3. Crumble bread into super small crumbs (this can be done in a food processor). mix with remaining ingredients.
4. Take chicken mixture 1.5 Tbsp. at a time, form into a slightly flattened ball, and coat in breadcrumb mixture. Placeon a baking sheet lightly greased with coconut oil.
5. Once all the chicken is used (you'll probably have leftover breadcrumbs. Just throw them away), bake in a preheated (400 degrees Fahrenheit) oven for about ten minutes, or until heated through and golden brown and slightly firm. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying!

I hope you like them as much as I do!

<3 Danielle

Thoughts are Stars

Inspired by the quote from John Green, I painted this piece of art several weeks ago on a day when I was feeling particularly scatter-brained. Lately I have been feeling inspired by starry nights and the moon.

There's just this overwhelming urge I get sometimes to paint an image I get in my head. Does anyone else get that?

I am extremely strong-willed. once an Idea gets into my head, theres only a very small chance of stopping me. For example, although I've never {successfully} sewn an article of clothing, around Easter, I got this idea into my head that I needed to sew myself a new dress. So I went all out. Not only did I sew my vintage-styled dress, but I also designed it. In fact, I was finally able to apply the calculus class I took to real life! But that's for another day. . . .

Whats inspiring you these days?

<3 Danielle

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Hello everyone! Remember my garden with the GIANT cucumbers? 

Well, I had to figure out a way to use all of those cukes up, not to mention the plethora of tomatoes!  So, I made this super simple salad. This is perfect for a party, because it can be made the day before, or ten minutes before! Can't get better than that!

I wish I could say that I grew those onions as well, but last year, when I tried growing onions, they all got eaten up by worms (blah!!!).  Does anyone have any secrets to growing onions? I could use some advice!

Anyway, you should totally make this because it's basically a taste of summer, and we need to stretch summer as long as we possibly can, no matter what the school districts or lawmakers say.

Cucumber and Tomato Salad
1 Large Cucumber, Chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tomato chopped, or twelve grape tomatoes, halved
1 red onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 tbsp. basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients, store in fridge in an airtight container until ready to serve or up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Danielle

How to Cut Mango Like a Pro

Mangos are by far my favourite fruit. Yeah, I probably eat more bananas than any other fruit, but to be given the choice between a banana or a mango, the mango would win hands down.

Unfortunately, much of my life wasted away without the knowledge of how incredible this silky, sweet, juicy perfection is. Why was this?

When I was a kid, my mom never bought mangos. She said they were too much work for not much fruit.

I didn't care too much then, because I had no idea what I was missing out on. But then, one night everything changed. I was probably in seventh grade, and I was over at a friend's house. She cut up mango and offered me a piece. My mom's mango- free reign was beginning it's downfall.

I begged for her to invest in some mangoes, and she gave in. Then came the errors many make:

1) it was under ripe when we cut into it.

2) we attempted to cube their flesh of the fruit while it was still in it's skin

3) we tried to remove the fruit from the skin with a spoon

She stopped buying mango after that.

Years later, I gave them another approach, and this time, I won the battle with the mango. And the rest is history. So for all you mango fearers, here's the secret to success in your match against the tricky mango:

This is the best method, in my opinion, to get the most bang for your buck. Cause mangos are expensive. And I am cheap. 

Also, you're probably not going to want to use a peeler that you got for fifty cents at the dollar store, by the way. Believe me, investing in a good quality peeler will be worth it, not only for mangos, but also potatoes, apples, etc.

So enjoy your mango!

~Danielle

One Pan Stir Fry

Note: sorry this post came a little later in the day than usual, I am out of town staying in a house of no WiFi, so bear with me for the next week or so... I'll do my best to post regularly!

Some nights, I just don't feel like cooking.

Some nights, I have too empty of a pantry to make anything fancy.

Some nights, I just want to eat something delicious, but don't have much time.

Some nights (read: every night), I crave Asian food. 

That's when I make this stir fry.

This is super adaptable:

Don't have the right veggies? Mushrooms, green beans, sugar snap peas, etc. work well

Don't have chicken? Omit  or  substitute cooked pork, tofu, or beans.

No rice? Use quinoa, spaghetti squash, cauliflower rice, or your favourite grain.

So, there is no excuses not to make this!

One Pan Stir Fry

2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped

2 cups uncooked rice

3 large carrots

1 head broccoli

2 large stalks celery

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce (I love Little Soya brand)

pepper, to taste

1 tbsp. sriracha sauce

1 tsp. ground ginger

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1. In a large skillet, simmer rice in water for twenty minutes, or until soft.
2. While rice cooks, chop vegetables to a uniform size, or as shown in the picture above.
3. Strain the rice. in the same skillet, steam vegetables until tender, about ten-  fifteen minutes.
4. Once they are soft, remove steaming liquid from pan, and add rice, chicken, soy sauce, pepper, sriracha, ginger, and vinegar to the vegetables. Heat everything through, and keep heated until serving.

Serves about 6-8

Hope you all like it as much as I do!

~Danielle



Berries 'n' Cream Oatmeal Parfait

Why oh why can't it be summer all year long? Probably because without winter and fall, we wouldn't appreciate summer quite so much. One of my favourite summer features is the fruit. Especially:

Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Watermelon
Raspberries
Cherries

Nectarines

Etcetera

I mean, sure, fall has apples and pears, winter is prime for citrus, and spring is the time for rhubarb (at least in my garden), but really? Summer trumps them all.

So here's a recipe calling for berries. Enjoy it now as we cling to the last wisps of summer, or forever hold your peace (because really, winter lasts FOREVER).

Berries 'n' Cream Oatmeal Parfait

Serves one

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

4 strawberries, stems removed

6 blackberries

15 blueberries

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

Sweetener of choice to taste, optional

3/4 cup yoghurt of choice

Optional: granola, chocolate chips, more berries, coconut, etc.

1) In a blender or food processor, puree milk, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, sweetener, and vanilla.

2) in a small saucepan, cook oats and milk/berry puree until oats are soft and most of the liquid has absorbed. Cool overnight, or until it's cold. This is sped up if it's placed in a shallow bowl.

3) Layer the oatmeal and yoghurt and optional ingredients in a container. Enjoy immediately.

~Danielle